HR Happens

Outside of the healthcare industry, an employee vaccination policy seems like something a business wouldn't have to ever dream of writing. Cue a global pandemic. As of December 17, 2021, OSHA's (Occupations Safety and Health Act) Emergency Temporary Standard has been reinstated. In case you were unaware of the initial ETS, it was a policy put in place, to be enforced by OSHA, requiring all employer's with 100 or more employees to have a current record of all employee's vaccination status and to implement a written vaccination-or testing policy. The ETS was suspended by a federal appeals court on November 6th, so that the courts could evaluate whether the ETS was a government overreach. The stay was lifted by the 6th Circuit Court in a 2-1 ruling.   "Based on the [Occupational Safety and Health Act's] language, structure and Congressional approval, OSHA has long asserted its authority to protect workers against infectious diseases," wrote Judge Jane Stanch

2020 has been a year full of twists, turns, changes and collaborations (You obviously know this). Most likely, your organization has had more change in direction this year then ever before. Your office holiday party will be the same deal. But, how do you plan on office party in a national pandemic? I do not have a answer for you specifically...but I DO have some tips and things to consider when planning this highly-anticipated year-end celebration! What do your employees ACTUALLY want? Seriously, first and foremost, what does your team want this year? There is no use in planning an extravagant party with every CDC guideline and precaution if your employees do not actually feel comfortable getting together! So, ask them!  Take a poll among your team and find out what THEY would like to do. (The point is to celebrate them anyway, right?!) Find out if they would attend an in-person event, a virtual event or prefer a different form of employee appreciation. Some will be dying for some sort

Holiday sales look different this year, and some retailers are starting online sales this week. In a 2018 study, over  two-thirds of employees  plan to shop online while at work during the holiday season. This means employers should have a plan to navigate the next few weeks to maintain productivity and minimize disruption. Here are three things employers should consider. 1. Online Shopping May Not Be a Big Deal As the holiday shopping season draws near, employers may not need to fret over the potential loss of productivity. In reality, Cyber Monday may not be any different than an average day. Employees might already spend time on non-work-related Internet activities during their typical workday. Additionally, simply enforcing the organization's policies and placing restrictions on Internet usage may not have the desired effect. This is because many employees will use their personal smartphones and tablets—rather than company equipment—to hunt for Cyber Monday deals. Under these c

(Disclaimer: NewsFlash! is a section of The HR Lady Blog that showcases articles and posts from other organizations that are relevant to human resources.) When Should Managers Call HR? By  Jonathan A. Segal July 21, 2020 Employers expect supervisors to resolve some issues on their own and to report other things to human resources—or possibly to in-house counsel—rather than to resolve them independently. But do you know which is which? For example, you probably know that you should report to HR all complaints of unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation, even if: The employee requests that the complaint be kept confidential. The employee implores the supervisor not to consult with HR. The complaint appears to lack merit. But in other instances, the line is less clear. For example, if an employee is frequently late, it's your job to resolve the issue by confronting the employee about his lateness and handling it according to established company policies. But what happens if

(Disclaimer: NewsFlash! is a section of The HR Lady Blog that showcases articles and posts from other organizations that are relevant to human resources.) Closed Schools, Camps and Day Cares Raise Workplace Complications for Managers With no end in sight to the pandemic, managers navigate a confusing landscape of child care conflicts Florida State University seemed to draw a line in the sand last month in the COVID-19-era debate over work and child care. In a memo, the school stated that employees could no longer care for their children while they worked remotely, reinstating a prepandemic policy. The announcement sparked a national backlash and media coverage in news outlets including  The  New  York Times ,  New York Post  and  People  magazine. And within days, the university was forced to reverse course. "We want to be clear—our policy does allow employees to work from home while caring for children," the university said in a statement. That reversal illustrates how close

Video conferencing software is a necessary evil in the current business landscape. It helps us connect on a virtual level, but it also comes with some serious drawbacks. Cue the dreaded "Zoom Fatigue". It's real! Your employees, coworkers and colleagues are not just making excuses to avoid video contact. This new-found workplace issue has been researched, and here are a few reasons why it causes us so much stress: Problem #1. Absence of Non-Verbal Cues In daily, face-to-face conversation, we rely on non-verbal cues to let us know when someone is excited, or concerned, or has finished speaking. These allow us to continue the conversation flow and get our points across to colleagues. Without these non-verbal cues, our brain has to go into overdrive to analyze every word that is spoken. This is similar to text and email. Without these non-verbal, in-person cues, comments and presentations can become something they are not meant to be. Problem #2. Performance Anxiety